Franklin Regional continues rise through Class 5A rankings with win vs. Highlands

By: HSSN Staff
Saturday, December 23, 2017 | 3:32 PM

When the Tribune-Review unveiled its preseason high school basketball rankings in early-December, Franklin Regional — now unbeaten through six games and ranked No. 3 in Class 5A — was nowhere to be found.

It has so far served as a reminder of the work to be done by Franklin Regional alum Steve Scorpion, who is in his first season as boys coach at his alma mater.

The process continued in impressive fashion Friday night as the Panthers rolled to a Section 3-opening 70-46 victory over visiting Highlands.

Nate Leopold and Jake Rosenberg scored 14 points apiece, and Hunter Stonecheck added 10 for Franklin Regional (6-0, 1-0).

When Scorpion learned of the preseason rankings, he snapped a photo of the content and saved it to his phone's screensaver.

“It's been there since the beginning of the year, and I'm probably not going to take it off all year,” Scorpion said, pulling out his phone and showing off the front display. “It just reminds us from time to time where we want to go with this program. I'm in this for the long haul.”

Franklin Regional, which broke into the Trib's poll this week, took control of the game from the start.

The Panthers withstood a hiccup in the second half, when Highlands (2-3, 0-1) three times during a span late in the third quarter and early in the fourth cut a 20-point deficit in half, the last coming on two free throws by Luke Cochran, who led the Golden Rams with 15 points.

“We don't have any superstars, but we've got a group of guys who know how to play together,” Scorpion said. “When things aren't going our way, they don't panic. And you saw that when Highlands made their run. We all knew they would and we were ready.”

A 10-0 run by Franklin Regional, capped by consecutive 3-point shots by Rosenberg, pushed the lead back to 20 points, 60-40, with 4 minutes, 35 seconds remaining.

“Experience matters at every level of basketball, and they lean heavily on it,” Highlands coach Tyler Stoczynski said of the Panthers. “They've got a senior-laden team over there. This is a game we've got to learn from, and we've got to put it behind us quickly because we've got to be ready to play again.”

Highlands was scheduled to face Class 2A Greensburg Central Catholic at 3 p.m. Saturday at Penn Hills Jamfest.

Scorpion, the third all-time leading scorer at Franklin Regional, began coaching as an assistant with the Panthers shortly after his college playing days ended at Pitt-Johnstown, where he is the school's all-time leader in 3-point field goals. He has been working year-round at coaching teams from the AAU level to high schools to colleges.

“I've coached hundreds of games at all levels with kids of all ages, and it helps me,” Scorpion said. “I find things that work.”

After his first stint at Franklin Regional, Scorpion became an assistant at the junior college level at Polk State (Fla.) before moving on to become a high school assistant again, first at Notre Dame Prep (Mass.) and then at Kiski School in Saltsburg, where he eventually took over for two seasons as head coach.

He returned to Franklin Regional this year, succeeding another Panthers alum, Brad Midgley, who resigned after eight seasons and four WPIAL playoff appearances.

Dave Mackall is a freelance writer.

Tags: Franklin Regional, Highlands